Elly Patterson is for the Birds
In today’s reprint of For Better or For Worse, Elly Patterson finds herself at a party where she cannot relate to any of the conversation. John Patterson is talking to his dentist friends about favourite dental stories to which Elly cannot relate. Two sets of women are talking about makeup and facials to which Elly cannot relate. I guess Elly, back in those days, did not wear makeup or didn’t want to talk about it. I don't either. So, Elly ends up talking to a bird in a cage to whom Elly can relate. Get the symbolism there? Elly is like the bird kept in a cage. The colourist even coloured Elly’s clothes and the bird’s feathers the same way, in case you missed it. In fact, Lynn Johnston drew that bird with an enormous spread between its little birdy feet, which tells us this is one fat bird. Maybe Elly relates to the bird on that level too.
Considering Lynn Johnston was living in Lynn Lake, Manitoba at the time she did this strip, I doubt that Lynn could have gone to many parties where there was more than one dentist in attendance. Nevertheless, there were a number of strips in the first year of the strip which made it look like John and Elly were sophisticated party goers.
Looking back at those strips now, I suddenly realize that at those parties, John is the center of attention and Elly rarely speaks. This fits the theme of today’s strip, where Elly wanders about the party without no one to talk to. In the CBC interview with Lynn Johnston back in 1980, she mentioned how much did not like the place and how the people there referred to her as the crazy dentist’s wife. Although the sophistication would not match Lynn Lake, what I imagine that Lynn is representing correctly is her sense of alienation at living in her husband Rod’s home town. Everyone knows who he is, and no one knows who she is. Also, Lynn could be showing us that she cannot relate to what is important to the residents of Lynn Lake; but instead of showing us swinger parties, adultery and wife-swapping (the way Lynn described Lynn Lake life in her Macleans Magazine interview), she shows us makeup and facials instead. That only makes sense. I doubt her audience would really go in for the real Lynn Lake as described by Lynn.
Considering Lynn Johnston was living in Lynn Lake, Manitoba at the time she did this strip, I doubt that Lynn could have gone to many parties where there was more than one dentist in attendance. Nevertheless, there were a number of strips in the first year of the strip which made it look like John and Elly were sophisticated party goers.
Looking back at those strips now, I suddenly realize that at those parties, John is the center of attention and Elly rarely speaks. This fits the theme of today’s strip, where Elly wanders about the party without no one to talk to. In the CBC interview with Lynn Johnston back in 1980, she mentioned how much did not like the place and how the people there referred to her as the crazy dentist’s wife. Although the sophistication would not match Lynn Lake, what I imagine that Lynn is representing correctly is her sense of alienation at living in her husband Rod’s home town. Everyone knows who he is, and no one knows who she is. Also, Lynn could be showing us that she cannot relate to what is important to the residents of Lynn Lake; but instead of showing us swinger parties, adultery and wife-swapping (the way Lynn described Lynn Lake life in her Macleans Magazine interview), she shows us makeup and facials instead. That only makes sense. I doubt her audience would really go in for the real Lynn Lake as described by Lynn.
posted by howard at 10:42 PM
5 Comments:
Too bad Elly didn't try to join in the facial conversation. She might have learned something.
We've already seen a re-run in which she plastered goop all over her face before going to bed, grossing John out. Doing that would just mess up the pillowcase & clog her pores. Facials can look weird, but you do them in private & wash off the goop after a few minutes. Most long term facial products (for day or night) are very light.
I remember other strips in which young Elly spent too much money on department store skin treatment. There's no way she wouldn't be interested in such a silly-sounding conversation!
This is also the woman who complained she missed human companionship, apparently because she spent all day with her children--who didn't even count as human. Now is her chance to talk to adults & she won't even try.
I agree that the real purpose of this strip is to show how much better Elly/Lynn was than the silly (frivolous or work-obsessed) fools in her social set.
--maggie texas
In the CBC interview with Lynn Johnston back in 1980, she mentioned how much did not like the place and how the people there referred to her as the crazy dentist’s wife. Although the sophistication would not match Lynn Lake, what I imagine that Lynn is representing correctly is her sense of alienation at living in her husband Rod’s home town. Everyone knows who he is, and no one knows who she is. Also, Lynn could be showing us that she cannot relate to what is important to the residents of Lynn Lake; but instead of showing us swinger parties, adultery and wife-swapping (the way Lynn described Lynn Lake life in her Macleans Magazine interview), she shows us makeup and facials instead.
The problem I have with all of Lynn's tragedy pleas is that the woman I saw in the grocery store looked like someone who, like Elly, made no effort to join into things. In both cases, it seems obvious that people were supposed to gravitate around her because she was a superstar martyr living a life she hated. Instead, the poeople of Lynn Lake passed up the chance to fawn over her and tell them how grateful they were a resentful, arrogant pain in the neck defamed them to the media and twisted their innocent conversations into the vilest of calumnies.
maggie texas,
We've already seen a re-run in which she plastered goop all over her face before going to bed, grossing John out.
I remember other strips in which young Elly spent too much money on department store skin treatment. There's no way she wouldn't be interested in such a silly-sounding conversation!
I forgot all about all those facial strips! Research I missed. You’re absolutely right. It is definitely out-of-character for Elly not to be interested in that subject.
This is also the woman who complained she missed human companionship, apparently because she spent all day with her children--who didn't even count as human. Now is her chance to talk to adults & she won't even try.
An excellent point. Elly had her Anne Nichols and Connie Poirier characters, done in clear imitation of Cathy’s best friends in the Cathy comic strip. But Lynn Johnston did not have those persons in real life. With this strip, I have a feeling we are lot closer to the real Lynn in Lynn Lake.
I agree that the real purpose of this strip is to show how much better Elly/Lynn was than the silly (frivolous or work-obsessed) fools in her social set.
I guess if they are not willing to talk with Elly about how hard she has it with her kids, like Connie and Anne do, then they have no talking points with Elly.
DreadedCandiru2,
Instead, the poeople of Lynn Lake passed up the chance to fawn over her and tell them how grateful they were a resentful, arrogant pain in the neck defamed them to the media and twisted their innocent conversations into the vilest of calumnies.
I have been curious what the reaction of the people in Lynn Lake was to Lynn Johnston’s Macleans interview. I can’t imagine it was a positive one to be told you lived in a town of adulterers.
Every time I'm tempted to watch that CBC video clip, I remember that the interviewer/narrator keeps saying "Johnson" instead of "Johnston" and how that drives me to distraction.
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